TY for all the thoughtful responses. With respect to the SUV vs car issue, my wife has a very successful landscape design biz and needs to haul plant materials, sculpture, etc. every so often to back up her installation crews and their trucks. That's why we had the old Land Cruiser in the first place. Current station wagons (Volvo V70, Saab 9-5) don't have the vertical space she needs.

Latest update: it looks like the Pathfinder in base SE trim, including a five-speed, is leading the pack. It's definitely roomier than the Forester. The MDX is too fancied up for our prosaic needs. Drove them all yesterday.

An aside: I wish Subaru would put the H-6 3-liter engine in the Forester.

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